72^nd Anniversary
INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY
15 August 2019

RECEPTION

REMARKS
High Commissioner Tanmaya Lal

Hon. Actg. President of the Republic of Mauritius Vyapoory Pillay
Hon. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth
Hon. Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Collendavelloo
Hon. Minister Mentor Sir Anerood Jugnauth
Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Infrastructure Nandkumar Bodha
Hon. Ministers, and other Distinguished dignitaries
My Colleagues from diplomatic corps
Ladies and Gentlemen

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all of you as we celebrate the 72nd anniversary of India’s independence.

This year also marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who led Indian masses in their remarkable independence struggle during the first half of the 20th century. Gandhiji’s visit to Mauritius in 1901 on his way to India from South Africa is still remembered.

Excellencies,

May I now say a few words in French,

Permettez-moi,   tout d’abord,
de féliciter
le peuple et le gouvernement mauriciens
pour le grand succès   remporté
lors des dixième Jeux des îles  de l’océan indien.

Ces Jeux   ont été
spectaculaires   à regarder   et
passionnants à suivre !

Bravo Maurice !

May I begin by congratulating the people and the Government of Mauritius on the excellent success at hosting and competing at the 10th Indian Ocean Island Games a few weeks ago. The Games were spectacular to watch and exciting to follow.

Distinguished Guests,

These Games also wonderfully brought out the very vibrant and lively spirit and the unity of this beautiful rainbow nation.

India today represents a global experiment where one sixth of the world’s population is moving ahead together in a democratic framework.

Earlier this May, we completed the largest ever electoral exercise in the world, where around 650 million out of the 900 million eligible voters in India exercised their democratic right.
India today is confidently on the move and is among the fastest growing large economies of the world, taking hundreds of millions of people towards prosperity.

Distinguished Guests,

India and Mauritius share similar colonial experience and are joined by unique Diaspora ties.
Today both our countries are making rapid strides even as we face similar development challenges and are also affected by global challenges such as climate change.
India is, therefore, proud to be a part of the remarkable development story of Mauritius. We are happy to partner Mauritius on projects in infrastructure, transport, energy, housing, education, early digital learning, healthcare and other areas that help contribute to the wellbeing of all sections of society.
We are looking forward to the return of railways in form of the Metro soon to Mauritius.
Substantive opportunities annually in higher education and professional training besides academic and research linkages are also bringing our younger generation closer.
In addition to the engagement in the financial sector, our business linkages are broadening. Leading Mauritian corporates in many sectors including textiles and energy, to name a few, are operating in India at a substantial scale and often work with Indian partners.

Earlier this year, Hon. Prime Minister Jugnauth inaugurated the SBM Bank operations in India as a wholly owned subsidiary, under the first such license awarded in India.

Distinguished Guests,

India and Mauritius are maritime neighbours joined by the Indian Ocean. During his previous visit to Mauritius, Prime Minister Modi elaborated India’s vision for the Indian Ocean - as SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region.
India and Mauritius continue to work closely on securing maritime safety and security, disaster management, surveillance to counter threats from terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing and drugs and arms trafficking. We are collaborating in developing hydrography charts for this region.
We also work together within the framework of IORA, the Indian Ocean Rim Association. In June India participated at the 2nd Ministerial Conference on Maritime Security in Western Indian Ocean.
Earlier this month the renowned Indian Institute of Technology Madras joined hands with the University of Mauritius to host the 5th International Conference on Ocean Engineering in Mauritius.
From tomorrow Mauritius will host an India-Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Conference. Next week, the
Indian Institution of Engineers and the Institution of Engineers of Mauritius will host a Conference where they will focus on Disruptive Technologies and Future Innovations.
Last October, we were honoured to receive Hon. Deputy Prime Minister at the First Assembly of the International Solar Alliance, a global initiative that was launched jointly by Prime Minister Modi and the French President Hollande at Paris COP.
There are several other important issues where India and Mauritius work together in UN and other multilateral fora.
In January this year, we were privileged to receive Hon. Prime Minister as the Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (Overseas Indians Day) celebrations in Varanasi. He was also our honoured special guest at the swearing-in ceremony of the Council of Ministers of the cabinet led by Prime Minister Modi recently.

Excellencies,

Before concluding, may I express our gratitude to the leaders and people of Mauritius for their overwhelming tributes to Smt Sushma Swaraj, a very special friend of Mauritius, whom many of you have described as a family member and a sister.
She symbolized the unique friendship between our countries and we are deeply touched by the expressions of sympathy and support that we received from all of you.
We will continue to build on this wonderful friendship and partnership in the years to come.
On behalf of my Government and all my colleagues, may I thank all of you for joining us here this evening.
Thank you.

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